New York Times bestselling author Jennifer
McQuiston continues her enchanting Seduction Diaries series as a bookish
spinster and an unrepentant rogue unite to unmask a traitor.

Every girl dreams of a hero…

No one
loves books more than Miss Mary Channing. Perhaps that’s why she’s reached the
ripe old age of six-and-twenty without ever being kissed. Her future may be as
bland as milk toast, but Mary is content to simply dream about the heroes and
adventures she reads about in her books. That way she won’t end up with a
villain instead.

But sometimes only a scoundrel will do.

When she
unexpectedly finds herself in the arms of Geoffrey Westmore, London’s most
notorious scoundrel, it feels a bit like a plot from one of her favorite
novels. Suddenly, Mary understands why even the smartest heroines can fall prey
to a handsome face. And Westmore’s is more handsome than most. But far worse
than the damage to her reputation, the moment’s indiscretion uncovers an
assassination plot that reaches to the highest levels of society and threatens
the course of the entire country.

When a
tight-laced miss and a scoundrel of epic proportions put their minds together,
nothing can stand in their way. But unless they put their hearts together as
well, a happy ending is anything but assured.

~*~ ~*~
~*~ ~*~

EXCERPT
from THE PERKS OF LOVING A SCOUNDREL:

From the Diary of Miss
Mary Channing

May 24, 1858

Eleanor wrote today. I should have been glad to hear from
her, given that she is my twin sister and I love her dearly, but it would be
untruthful to say the contents of her letter pleased me. Her new husband, Lord
Ashington, has been called away on business and she’s asked me to come to
London to keep her company during the last two months of her confinement.

Can you imagine? Me, in London?

My family says I must get my nose out of my books and begin
to live in the world around me. It is true I’ve never been further afield than
a day trip from home, and that I have never slept a night outside my own bed.
But why would I ever want to leave, when I have my books to keep me company?
And a trip to London is not without its perils. I could very well end up like
one of the characters in my beloved stories, snubbed by the popular crowd.
Whispered about behind lace fans. Or worse...led astray by a handsome
villain and then abandoned to my fate.

Yet, how could I not go? Eleanor is my sister, and she needs
me. So I shall put on a brave face. Pack a trunk. Smile, if I must. But I can’t
help but wonder...which worries me more?

The many things that could happen in London?

Or the thought of seeing Eleanor, with her handsome new
husband, and her shining, lovely life, and everything I am afraid of wanting?

Chapter One

London, May 29, 1858

The smell should have
been worse.

She’d expected something
foul, air made surly by the summer heat. Just last week she’d read about the
Thames, that great, roiling river that carried with it the filth of the entire
city and choked its inhabitants to tears. Her rampant imagination, spurred on
by countless books and newspaper articles, had conjured a city of fetid smells,
each more terrible than the last. But as Miss Mary Channing opened her bedroom
window and breathed in her first London morning, her nose filled with nothing
more offensive than the fragrance of...

Flowers.

Disconcerted, she peeked
out over the sill. Dawn was just breaking over the back of Grosvenor Square.
The gaslights were still burning and the windows of the other houses were dark.
By eight o’clock, she imagined industrious housemaids would be down on their
knees, whiting their masters’ stoops. The central garden would fill with nurses
and their charges, heading west toward Hyde Park.

But for now the city—and
its smells—belonged solely to her.

She breathed in again. Was
she dreaming? Imagining things, as she was often wont to do? She was well over
two hundred miles from home, but it smelled very much like her family’s
ornamental garden in Yorkshire. She didn’t remember seeing a garden last night,
but then, she had arrived quite late, the gaslight shadows obscuring all but
the front steps. She’d been too weary to think, so sickened by the ceaseless
motion of the train that she’d not even been able to read a book, much less
ponder the underpinnings of the air she breathed.

She supposed she might
have missed a garden. Good heavens, she probably would have missed a funeral
parade, complete with an eight-horse coach and a brass band.

After the long, tiresome
journey, she’d only wanted to find a bed.

And yet now...at
five o’clock in the morning...she couldn’t sleep.

Not on a mattress that
felt so strange, and not in a bedroom that wasn’t her own.

Pulling her head back
inside, she eyed the four-poster bed, with its rumpled covers and profusion of
pretty pillows. It was a perfectly nice bed. Her sister, Eleanor, had clearly
put some thought into the choice of fabrics and furniture. Most women would
love such a room. And most women would love such an opportunity—two whole
months in London, with shops and shows and distractions of every flavor at
their fingertips.

But Mary wasn’t most
women. She preferred her distractions in the form of a good book, not shopping
on Regent Street. And these two looming months felt like prison, not paradise.

The scent of roses
lingered in the air, and as she breathed in, her mind settled on a new hope. If
there was a flower garden she might escape to—a place where she might read her
books and write in her journal—perhaps it would not be so terrible?

Picking up the novel she
had not been able to read on the train, Mary slipped out of the strange
bedroom, her bare feet silent on the stairs. She had always been an early
riser, waking before even the most industrious servants back home in Yorkshire.
At home, the cook knew to leave her out a bit of breakfast—bread and cheese
wrapped in a napkin—but no one here would know to do that for her yet.

Ever since she’d been a
young girl, morning had been her own time, quiet hours spent curled up on a
garden bench with a book in her lap, nibbling on her pocket repast, the day
lightening around her. The notion that she might still keep to such a routine
in a place like London gave her hope for the coming two months.

She drifted down the
hallway until she found a doorway that looked promising, solid oak, with a key
still in the lock. With a deep breath, she turned the key and pulled it open.
She braced herself for knife-wielding brigands. Herds of ragged street urchins,
hands rifling through her pockets. The sort of London dangers she’d always read
about.

Instead, the scent of flowers
washed over her like a lovely, welcome tide.

Oh, thank goodness.

She hadn’t been
imagining things after all.

Something hopeful nudged
her over the threshold of the door, then bade her to take one step, then another.
In the thin light of dawn, she saw flowers in every color and fashion: bloodred
rose blooms, a cascade of yellow flowers dripping down the wrought iron fence.
Her fingers loosened over the cover of her book. Oh, but it would be lovely to
read here. She could even hear the light patter of a fountain, beckoning her
deeper.

But then she heard
something else above those pleasant, tinkling notes.

An almost inhuman groan
of pleasure.

With a startled gasp,
she spun around. Her eyes swam through the early morning light to settle on a
gentleman on the street, some ten feet or so away on the other side of the
wrought iron fence. But the fact of their separation did little to relieve her
anxiety, because the street light illuminated him in unfortunate, horrific
clarity.

He was urinating.

Through the fence.

Onto one of her sister’s
rosebushes.

The book fell from
Mary’s hand. In all her imaginings of what dreadful things she might encounter
on the streets of London, she’d never envisioned anything like this. She ought
to bolt. She ought to scream. She ought to...well...she ought to
at least look away.

But as if he was made of
words on a page, her eyes insisted on staying for a proper read. His eyes were
closed, his mouth open in a grimace of relief. Objectively, he was a handsome
mess, lean and long-limbed, a shock of disheveled blond hair peeking out from
his top hat. But handsome was always matter of opinion, and this one
had “villain” stamped on his skin.

As if he could hear her
flailing thoughts, one eye cracked open, then the other. “Oh, ho, would you
look at that, Grant? I’ve an audience, it seems.”

“Cork it, you sodding
fool!” the blond villain shouted back. “Can’t you see we’re in the presence of
a lady?” He grinned. “Apologies for such language, luv. Though...given the
way you are staring, perhaps you don’t mind?” He rocked back on his heels,
striking a jaunty pose even as the urine rained down. “If you come a little
closer, I’d be happy to give you a better peek.”

Mary’s heart scrambled
against her ribs. She might be a naive thing, fresh from the country, and she
might now be regretting her presumption that it was permissible to read a book
in a London garden in her bare feet, but she wasn’t so unworldly that she
didn’t know this one pertinent fact: she was not—under any circumstances—coming
a little closer.

Or getting a better
peek.

Mortified, she wrapped
her arms about her middle. “I. . .that is. . .couldn’t you manage to hold
it?” she somehow choked out. There. She’d managed a phrase, and it
was a properly scathing one, too. As good as any of her books’ heroines might
have done.

A grin spread across his
face. Much like the puddle at the base of the rosebush. “Well, luv, the thing
is, I’m thinking I’d rather let you hold it.” The stream trickled to
a stop, though he added a few more drips for good measure. He shook himself off
and began to button his trousers. “But alas, it seems you’ve waited too long
for the pleasure.” He tipped a finger to the brim of his top hat in a sort of
salute. “My friend awaits. Perhaps another time?”

Mary gasped. Or rather,
she squeaked.

She could manage little
else.

He chuckled. “It seems
I’ve got a shy little mouse on my hands. Well, squeak squeak, run along then.”
He set off down the street, swaying a bit. “But I’ll leave you with a word of
advice, Miss Mouse,” he tossed back over one shoulder. “You’re a right tempting
sight, standing there in your unutterables. But you might want to wear shoes
the next time you ogle a gentleman’s prick. Never know when you’ll need to
run.”

ABOUT THE
AUTHOR:

A
veterinarian and infectious disease researcher by training, Jennifer McQuiston
has always preferred reading romance to scientific textbooks. She resides in
Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, their two girls, and an odd assortment of
pets, including the pony she promised her children if mommy ever got a book
deal.

“McQuiston’s third
Seduction Diaries novel is to be commended for its complex and unusual plot and
for featuring characters the reader comes to care for. A surprising, readable
story about healing, forgiveness, and trust.” — Kirkus

“The story is equal
parts mystery and romance, and just when readers begin to feel cheated, the
twists and turns navigate to a stunning ending.”— Publishers Weekly

“Pure Escapism. Ms.
Mcquiston created a romance as epic as the characters who lived it. [...] With
easily identifiable main characters and a thrilling story, it was a no brainer
for me to gift this book with 5 stars and a Top Pick.” — Night Owl
Reviews

“McQuiston’s Seduction
Diaries series captivates readers with clever plots and engaging characters.
Incorporating plenty of sexual tension, bantering dialogue and a mystery into
this installment delivers everything fans expect from McQuiston. This is truly
a delightful addition to a reader’s library.”— RT Book Reviews

“THE PERKS OF LOVING A
SCOUNDREL is full of interesting characters and their interactions, especially
those between West and Mary. There is also plenty of suspense concerning the
assassination. The era is also a change from the Regency that so Dominates
British historical romances.”— Romance Reviews Today

Monday, September 26, 2016

Already a fan of Jill Shalvis, I’ve often
considered her one of the best voices in contemporary romance but I think she’s
really coming into her own with the Heartbreaker Bay series. Having thoroughly
loved SWEET LITTLE LIES, I hadn’t really expected to enjoy THE TROUBLE WITH MISTLETOE
as much, and certainly not more.

***eARC provided by author via Edelweiss
in exchange for an honest and unscripted review

Blurb for THE TROUBLE
WITH MISTLETOE:

If she has her way ...

Willa
Davis is wrangling puppies when Keane Winters stalks into her pet shop with
frustration in his chocolate-brown eyes and a pink bedazzled cat carrier in his
hand. He needs a kitty sitter, stat. But the last thing Willa needs is to
rescue a guy who doesn’t even remember her ...

He’ll get nothing but coal in his stocking.

Saddled
with his great-aunt’s Feline from Hell, Keane is desperate to leave her in
someone else’s capable hands. But in spite of the fact that he’s sure he’s
never seen the drop-dead-gorgeous pet shop owner before, she seems to be mad at
him ...

Unless he tempers “naughty” with a special kind
of nice ...

Willa
can’t deny that Keane’s changed since high school: he’s less arrogant, for one
thing—but can she trust him not to break her heart again? It’s time to throw a
coin in the fountain, make a Christmas wish—and let the mistletoe do its work
...

~*~ ~*~
~*~ ~*~

Willa Davis is up to her elbows running
her pet shop, taking care of animals, and helping other young girls who haven’t
had the best childhood to stay off the streets. She’s also doing her best to
avoid men because she’s totally off them, after her last boyfriend turned into
a stalker. When the guy from high
school, who she asked to the Sadie Hawkins Day dance and who then stood her up,
walks into her shop begging for help with his aunt’s demon cat, she is
humiliated further when he doesn’t remember her.

Keane Winters keeps most people at arm’s
length because that’s what he’s accustomed to from family, but there’s
something about the pretty Willa that makes him want to get close to her…he
calls it animal magnetism but perhaps it’s more. Can Willa show him that there
are more reasons to connect than stay disconnected? And what will she learn in
the process?

Jill Shalvis writes wonderful characters,
snappy banter, and the crew of the Heartbreaker Bay series is one of the best
cast of characters and enrich each story. This is especially true in THE
TROUBLE WITH MISTLETOE by Jill Shalvis, even though the story centers around
Willa and Keane, the secondary characters are as important to the story as the
main characters. Keane is sexy but vulnerable, funny, charming, and even though
he denies caring, he can’t help himself. Willa is adorable, quirky, and I love
that she takes care of everyone even though she hasn't really had anyone to take
care of her. Her love of Christmas, her love of animals, and the fact that she
puts everyone before herself makes her easy for me to relate to...I already know her well.

Why should you read THE TROUBLE WITH
MISTLETOE by Jill Shalvis? Because it will make you smile, laugh, fall in love,
and wish you had friends like the wonderful folks of the Heartbreaker Bay
series. I highly recommend reading this one and the first, SWEET LITTLE LIES,
and I definitely can’t wait to read the next one.

Happy Reading Everyone!

THE TROUBLE WITH MISTLETOE, a
Heartbreaker Bay novel by Jill Shalvis, Avon Romance, releasing September 27,
2016 in print and ebook formats at Amazon,
Barnes
& Noble, and Kobobooks.

Zoricah,
the draconian demigoddess, has limited time to uncover a series of killings
before one of her own meets the same fate. Determined not to let that happen,
Zoricah has no other choice but to ask for the help of her race’s archenemy.

Tardieh,
the Vampire King, has long learnt not to trust the Dragons but when the flames
of passion ignite between him and Zoricah, he finds himself torn between
overwhelming sexual heat and his centuries-old distrust.

Together
they have to overcome their own prejudices before it is too late for their races
and their love.

Sometimes
life takes you down a completely different path from the one you had originally
planned.

After
successfully rescuing the daughter of a draconian senator and other innocent
women from a vampire psychopath, Sam and fellow warriors, Zoricah and Yara,
have to trade sunny New York for gloomy London. Time is running out on their
unfinished mission. More innocent people will die if they don’t catch the
person behind the attacks in New York. But something is making Sam lose control
of her powers. Something or someone. Ever since her first - and quite heated -
encounter with Hikuro, her energies had gone haywire. The vampire king’s second
in command affected her in a way no one had ever before. Her torment, however,
is bound to get worse, with Hikuro’s unexpected arrival in London.

Ever since
she set foot on vampire territory, Sam had turned Hikuro’s carefully controlled
life upside down. He doesn’t trust her, but some strange force pulled him
toward her; an inexplicable attraction that defies centuries of training. But
if Hikuro is to keep his king safe, he must keep a close eye on Sam, even if he
loses his sanity and his heart in the process.

When the
last box of deadly bullets is stolen, the hunt is on and the Vampire King’s
band of fighters is set for the challenge of recovering it. But Yara, the
shifter-witch, has other problems to face. She must help her leader to overcome
the strange illness that has befallen her before it’s too late. For that, she
must go back to the only place she swore never to return – her home land.

Rafe is a
typical lone wolf who spends his nights earning his bucks in the fighting ring.
When he was offered a pardon for his debts in exchange for the Vampire King’s
head, he didn’t even blink, thinking it would be a hard mission but not
impossible. He just wasn’t expecting the saucy shifter-witch to cross his path
and ruin his plans. Now, he can’t get her out of his mind and the clock is
ticking for him to make good on his word.

This is
the third novel of the Dragon Heat series – a paranormal lover’s delight with
vampires, shifters, dragons, witches and much more.

When
Tardieh discovers a letter from his late father, he opens a door to old
memories. The letter from Petran is a tale of intrigue, attempted murder, and
betrayal, but leaves more questions than answers in its wake.

Petran,
the King of Vampires, an ancient monarch known for his cunning ploys and many
lovers, knows the animosity between draconians and vampires is brewing in
Romania. Upon discovering his draconian neighbor has fallen ill with a strange
Curse, Petran is determined to discover the cause, and a cure. In doing so, he
finds an unexpected ally in his neighbor’s daughter, a striking Draconian Duchess.

All Lady
Natalia, the Duchess of Moldavia, wants is to save her people from a Dragon
Lord’s tyranny but she’s only a woman, who has no place meddling in politics.
With his health failing, her father has big plans for her, so when the King of
Vampires agrees to help her find a cure for the Curse plaguing her people and
her father, Talia begins to see him as more than an old family friend. He
awakens desires in her she knows she should not have but cannot resist, or deny
him.

Descendant
of a Cherokee shaman, Dyam is one of the vampire king’s personal guards and
closest advisers. He has seen the worst of mankind and has vouched to stay away
from personal entanglements and focus on serving his king. His resolve is
shaken when Naiah, the water witch, finds her way into the busy vampire
castle’s life and straight into his heart. But before he can nurture his
feelings for her, she is killed in battle, causing Dyam to return to his
self-imposed seclusion for good.

Little
does he know that Naiah has been brought back to life by his kind’s most
infamous enemies. She is their ultimate weapon in a final battle that will
rupture not only the balance of the supernatural world, but Dyam’s loyalty to
his race.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

After a
year spent living in hiding—with no end in sight—Caroline Andrews wants to
reclaim her life. But the lingering trauma from her days serving with the
Marines leaves her afraid to trust the tempting logger who delivers friendship
and the promise of something more.

Following
an accident that nearly robbed him of his hopes for the future, Josh Summers
believes life has given him a second chance. He wants to settle down with the
woman who stole his attention and his heart. And he’s willing to wait until
she’s ready to be more than “just friends.” When fear of discovery leaves
Caroline pretending to be his date, Josh tempts her to try the real thing—a
relationship built on trust, not lies.

But then
the past threatens and Caroline must risk everything—including her freedom—to
bury her demons before she can take a chance on happy-ever-after.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Big
Buck’s Bar, the fictional setting for the Second Shot series, caters to Oregon
loggers and college students. It’s known for its beer thanks to Josie, the
heroine from SERVING TROUBLE (Second Shot #1). Then again, perhaps you’re
not a beer drinker…after all the college and grad students who frequent the bar
love a good Bloody Mary on Sundays, and Dominic, the hero of STIRRING
ATTRACTION (Second Shot #2), enjoys a good martini. So if you’re thinking of ‘mixing
it up’ while reading, here is Sara’s favorite cocktail recipe in honor of
MIXING TEMPTATION. Enjoy!

Happy
Reading Everyone!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

After
several years on the other side of the publishing industry, Sara Jane Stone bid
goodbye to her sales career to pursue her dream-writing romance novels.

Sara
Jane currently resides in New York with her very supportive real-life hero, two
lively young children and a lazy Burmese cat.

Join
Sara Jane’s newsletter, if you’d like to receive new release information, contest
news, giveaways, and much more!

To
subscribe, visit Sara’s website and look for her newsletter entry form down
along the right side panel.

Monday, September 19, 2016

Argeneau fans, you’re in
for a treat with the continuing plot concerning the adorable and oh, so sexy Notte
twins. This time, the story belongs to Tomasso Notte, and as with Dante, we
meet up with him naked as the day he was born in IMMORTAL NIGHTS, book 24 in
the Argeneau series by Lynsay Sands.

***eARC
provided by author via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest and unscripted
review

Blurb for IMMORTAL
NIGHTS:

In a sizzling new Argeneau novel from New York
Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands, an impulsive rescue pairs a sexy
immortal with the woman made to be his for eternity.
Abigail Forsythe’s life hasn’t been easy lately. Still, if there’s one thing
guaranteed to take her mind off an empty bank account and abandoned dreams,
it’s a naked man locked in a plane’s cargo hold. A very big, incredibly
gorgeous naked man. And when instinct prompts her to free him, Abigail must
rely on this stranger for survival…a stranger who leaves her thrumming with
need every time they touch.

Tomasso Notte knows he’s found his life mate in Abigail. Now he just has to
hold on to her. They’re miles from civilization, hunted by his kidnappers.
Abigail has no idea of Tomasso’s abilities, or of how intensely pleasurable
their unique connection can be. But he’s about to show her, beginning with one
wild, hot, immortal night…

~*~ ~*~ ~*~
~*~

Abigail Forsythe is trying to get her
life back on track after her mother’s death and having given up medical school
to care for her, so a visit with her dearest and oldest friend, Jet seems like
the best thing to do. He’s always had a stabilizing effect on her. When his job
as a pilot gives her a chance to fly off to an exotic location, she agrees to
accompany him only what happens next is not anything she ever could imagine. Hiding
from his employers in the cargo hold of the plane, she discovers their cargo is
a gorgeous naked man in a cage. When the man wakes up, everything happens fast,
furious, even orgasmically, and the next thing she knows, she’s with him on a
tropical island. Somewhere along the way, she could’ve sworn that he bit her
but then again, she did hit her head as they dove out the back of the plane…

Tomasso Notte, having been kidnapped
along with his brother, Dante knows he must escape his captors before they take
him to wherever they take the other immortals that have disappeared. Having
volunteered to investigate the disappearances, the twins were drugged and taken
captive. Dante had escaped leaving Tomasso still trapped in a cage and the
strong drug keeping him under control until a pretty mortal freed him. Not sure
if she’s with the bad guys or an innocent, he takes her with him. Now they are
stranded on an island, him without clothes or blood, and she totally unaware of
what he is or that she is his life mate. You know things are going to get
interesting.

I love the Notte brothers, they are
funny, sweet, sexy, and a little bit crazy too. I can just imagine them with
their European manners, sexy accents, gorgeous swarthy good looks, and those
bodies… I knew their stories would be filled with laughs, and Lynsay did not
disappoint.

The plot of some devious and dangerous
madman wanting to discover the secrets of the immortals thickens as we journey
with Tomasso and Abigail trying to survive on the island, resist each other, avoid
recapture by the bad guys, and trying to find help. It isn’t easy for either of
them…the resisting part being the most difficult part. Eventually, they reach
civilization, reconnect with Lucien, Bricker, Dante and his new life mate,
Mary. Abigail then embarks on a new journey learning the life of an immortal
after she nearly dies and Tomasso saves her the only way he knows how—by
turning her. But even in numbers, the danger is still acute and it nearly costs Mary, Abigail and her friend, Jet their lives.

I love that Lynsay has infused her
stories with bad guys and action again…it was always the best part of the
series along with the humor and fun banter that she is so good at conjuring
between her characters. I also enjoy having Lucien play a large part in the
stories again since he, although the most levelheaded and stable immortal,
always instills a sense of a parent with children environment with Bricker back
to being in his glory as the young one. You almost have to feel sorry for
Lucien having to deal with the Notte twins and Bricker at the same time, but
then what fun would that be.

If you’re already a fan of the Argeneau
series then I don’t have to tell you why you should read IMMORTAL NIGHTS by
Lynsay Sands. If however, you haven’t, even though I’ve begged you over the
years, dipped your toes into this fun, action-filled, humorous, sexy, and
totally escapist paranormal yet not really paranormal series—what are you
waiting for?

I highly recommend IMMORTAL NIGHTS, book
24 in the Argeneau series by Lynsay Sands, not because it’s extraordinary but
because it’s just pure fun. Dante is still my favorite of the twins but I
wouldn’t kick Tomasso out of bed for eating crackers either. Read it! And then
go back, and indulge in any of the others too. The best part of this series is
that you can pretty much pick up any of the books and start reading…Lynsay is
always so good at filling in the holes.

Friday, September 9, 2016

I’ve been a fan of Laura
Lee Guhrke for a while now but had not had the opportunity to read any of her An
American Heiress in London series…until now. NO MISTRESS OF MINE by Laura Lee
Guhrke doesn’t disappoint and if the rest of the series is as good, I’m going
to have to backtrack to the first three.

***print
copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest and unscripted review

Blurb for NO MISTRESS OF
MINE:

USA Today bestselling author Laura Lee
Guhrke is back with the latest in her dazzling An American Heiress in London
series, in which a reformed rogue finds all his honorable resolutions tested by
the only woman who ever broke his heart...

After
spending his youth as one of the wildest rakes in the ton, Lord Denys
Somerton has devoted the past six years to putting his past behind him. He is
determined to fulfill his duties, find a suitable wife, and start a family, but
that plan changes when Lola Valentine—the red-haired temptress from his
past—returns to London, sparking the same irresistible desires that almost
ruined his life once before.

Lola is a
woman with no romantic illusions. She knew love would never be enough for a
British lord and an American girl from the wrong side of the tracks. For
Denys’s sake, she walked away from him and the glittering life he offered. But
when an unexpected inheritance brings her back to London, Lola discovers the
passion between them is as hot as ever. Can they vanquish it, or will it burn
out of control again and destroy them both?

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Lord Denys Somerton fell in love with a
woman who wasn’t exactly someone his family approved of, but he didn’t care.
Lola Valentine was everything to him, so much so that he mortgaged his estate
to finance the play, A Doll’s House,
in which she starred to horrible critical disaster. To make matters worse, she
ran off to Paris and when he followed to propose to her, she rebuffed him with
the announcement that she was going home to America with someone who had made her a better offer. Devastated,
Denys tried his best to put her and their time together behind him and move on.

Now six years later, Lola is back in
London, newly partnered with Denys in the running of the Imperial Theatre where
she hopes to try one more time to prove herself a success in acting. Denys’s
reception is not one of pleasure and he does his best to keep her at a
distance. Upon obtaining a role in a production of Othello, Lola is on her way to
establishing her career and proving she does have talent but can’t bring
herself to let Denys go, much less give up completely on him because she still
loves him and never stopped. But now, he is on the verge of an engagement to a
wealthy, and family approved, young woman that might possibly give Lola a real
challenge in winning back the love of the only man for her.

Although, it is never actually stated
what era this story is set, I can only surmise it is near the end of Victorian
London. How? Well, the play Denys produced for Lola was A Doll’s House, presumably by Henrik Ibsen. This play wasn’t
performed in its original form in Great Britain until around 1889, making the
setting sometime after that with the addition of six years so I’m thinking middle to end of the last decade of the 19th century. That delights the Dickens
out of me!

As much as I love regency romance, I love
visiting other eras of historical romance just as much so to visit a time when
women truly were starting to come into their own, and meeting such a character
as Lola who truly is her own woman, made this a worthy read right away. The
next reason, it being a second chance romance…a second shot at love for both
Denys and Lola…a second chance to renew their undying love for each other, both
of whom are too hesitant to admit, and fight their feelings for most of the
story. The third reason, the characters we meet are so full of life that they
fill out the story extraordinarily well, and extend themselves to helping knock some sense
into these two stubborn and independent people who are still very much in love
with each other.

I mentioned that it was predictable…yes,
it is, but I don’t care. NO MISTRESS OF MINE by Laura Lee Guhrke is not full of
surprises but it is full of great banter, devious thinking, and two people
unable to take their eyes off each other even when they want to kick themselves
around the space when they can’t. That’s true love and you can’t ask for more
from a romance than that. Add in the wonderful setting of Victorian London, the
excitement of the theatre, beautiful countryside, and some great undoing on the
part of family scheming to have their own way, and you have a read worthy of
diving into and just enjoying. NO MISTRESS OF MINE, book 4 in the An American
Heiress in London series by Laura Lee Guhrke has my full recommendation, so
enjoy!

Happy Reading Everyone!

NO MISTRESS OF MINE, An American Heiress
in London novel by Laura Lee Guhrke, Avon Romance, available in print and ebook
formats at Amazon,
Barnes
& Noble, and Kobobooks.

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